


Time is who you share it with

by xaidyl



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Just fluff basically, i was hungry okay, just a day at Greyskull, lots of references to things that happen later on in the show, quite a bit of food, set pre stream, some mention of Pikes death, theres some fantasy version of monopoly, vax'ilmore is mentioned a fair bit but Gilmore doesn't appear in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 04:00:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11592507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xaidyl/pseuds/xaidyl
Summary: Pike wakes up first, as always, and goes about her day as normal, allowing the rest of Vox Machina to be as insane and unorganised as usual.(or just an average day at Greyskull keep, you know, whilst they all still lived there)





	Time is who you share it with

**Author's Note:**

> So I put out a request for people to send me prompts, and this is the one I got, from @owmxxks on tumblr-
> 
> 'A day in greyskull keep, whilst VM still lived there.'
> 
> I originally intended for this to be about a thousand words, but after I got writing it ended up a lot longer, and is now pretty much exactly ten times that length. Ooops. Thats why it too so long to write, apologies.
> 
> Anyway, some time later I finally finished it, so enjoy :)

The day, as always, started with Pike waking up first. Precisely seven hours past midnight, every morning, without fail. Had it been imperative that the group wake up, she would be out of bed much earlier, but, due to the lack of imminent threat, allowed herself a lie in (in her terms, to many others it would still be considered early). 

 

Her bedroom was to the northern side of the keep- and although it had only been a month or so since she had returned from her sailing trip, she had made herself entirely at home in the newly built bedroom. It did not take long for her to grab some underclothes, a pair of breeches and a light blue shirt, and pull them on, looking in the mirror and sleepily running a hand through her fringe. She pulled the bits of white hair that had fallen out of place into a neat plait, whilst she ambled over to the window. 

 

Pulling open the wooden blinds revealed the view over Emon. The late-summer sun was creating high above the horizon, shining down upon the buildings from high up in the cloudless sky. The leaves from the trees in Keyleth's garden brushed against the windowsill, summer greens just starting to turn to an autumn gold, although the temperature of the air was not yet cooling. Pike inhaled the fresh air deeply, then span around on her heels and strolled out of her bedroom. 

 

She made extra effort to move as quietly as she could down the corridor, as not to wake anybody, and made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There was already a pot of hot coffee on the corner, so she poured herself a cup, and sat down at the dining room table. Not having to set an example, or follow the rules that Percy and Tiberius had put in place, she placed her feet upon the table, and leant back in her chair. The wooden stool gave a creak, but did not break under the stress. She drank her coffee as she sat, letting the warmth wake her up a little more. 

  
  
  


Percy arrived just as Pike had finished her drink. He still wore his pajamas, and a pair of slippers that made a scratching sound against the stone floor. Pike quickly removed her feet from the table, not that Percy would be angry -or even, in this state, able to notice. He yawned as he noticed Pike sat there, and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

 

“Morning.” He muttered, then walked straight past her, towards the basement. 

 

Pike cleared her throat. “Morning.” She smiled. “Where are you going?” 

 

“Workshop.” He motioned to the basement door.

 

“Oh, Percy?” She sighed. “At least have some breakfast before you go.”

 

“I’ll get some in a bit. I was just hoping to get this piece fitted whilst I’m still in the right mindset from sleep.” He explained.

 

“I’ll get someone to bring you something down if you don't get anything in an hour.” She called as he walked away. He would not go against her word however, she didn't doubt it. Nobody would dare to.

 

“Fine!” He called in response as he walked down the staircase. The heavy door, designed to keep out explosions, swung on it’s hinges for a couple of seconds, and she was left in a peaceful quiet. 

 

Pike picked up her cup, took it to the kitchen, and placed it on a counter. She grabbed a variety of food: a loaf of bread, some meats and cheeses, a small amount of fruit; and carried them to the table. It took a little effort to balance everything in her small arms, and, had it been a few months earlier she would not have been able to do it at all. It was one of many advantages of her new muscles. 

  
  
  


Vex woke up about an hour after Pike did. She walked into the dining room where the gnome was snacking on the bits of food, and smiled, looking flawless as ever. She was dressed in a dark blue dress that went to her mid thigh, and a pair of striped leggings. “Morning darling.” She looked at Pike as she sat down on the adjacent chair, “Did you get a good night's sleep?” 

 

“Yeah, actually, not bad.” 

 

“Not missing the sea yet?” Vex joked whilst grabbing an apple from the table and delicately biting into it. 

 

Pike chuckled. “Oh no. Not at all.” As much as she had enjoyed her trip, she was more than happy to be back with her friends.

 

“You’ve not seen my bear around, by any chance, have you?” The half elf asked between mouthfuls of fruit. 

 

“I’ve not seen anyone but Percy.” 

 

Vex looked a little confused. “Is Keyleth not up yet?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“I thought she wanted to wake up early today- something about the plants being too hot or something- maybe she overslept.” It wasn't unlike Keyleth to miss a time she had set herself, neither was it unlike Keyleth to make a mistake that could have devastating consequences on a project she had been working on for months. However, that did not mean that she had to face those consequences, and Pike was not the kind of person to allow something to go wrong just to prove that the girl was not too good at taking care of herself, a fact that everyone in Vox Machina knew. 

 

Pike stood up, not bothering to push her chair in.  “I’m going to wake her up.” She explained to Vex, and before there could be any argument against it, she added “Can you take some food down to Percy? He’ll be in his workshop all day if we don’t stop him.”

 

“You sound like you're our mother, darling.” The girl laughed as she also slid off her chair. 

  
  
  


Keyleth’s room was similar to Pike’s in the way it was built and set out (mainly because they didn’t want arguments on who got which room), but she had painted it a light green colour, and grown flowers around the wooden furniture, whereas Pike’s room remained mostly bare still.  Keyleth herself lay spread out in a starfish shape across the bed, long auburn hair matted and sticking to her face from the saliva that pooled from her mouth. That, accompanied by the occasional snore, didn’t make her the most attractive sleeper. At least she didn’t sleep naked- like some people (Pike, the twins, and Grog were advocators of it, but having to wake somebody up whilst not getting a little too close for comfort was difficult, especially for a gnome).

 

The druid jumped up as soon as Pike opened her door, sitting up and quickly wiping the hair out of her mouth. “Oh! Pike!” she exclaimed happily, but sounding shocked. “I wasn't asleep late or anything-” she explained, pulling the sheets that had wrapped around her legs off with a bit of a struggle. She then slid off the bed, landing with a thump on the floor, knees up to her chin. 

 

“Good?” Pike was a little unsure why Keyleth was explaining what she was, but it was best just to let her be. “Vex said you might need waking up. That you said something about plants? I don't know-”

 

“Oh. Oh!. No, yes-” She frantically stood up, and grabbed some clothes that were thrown carelessly onto the chair in the corner. “Darn it. I knew I would miss it. I'll have to wait till next week now.”

 

“Do you need some help, Keyleth?” 

 

“No- wait?” Keyleth looked down at Pike whilst still pulling her dress over her head, “What time is it?” 

 

“About eight and a half hours into morning.” 

 

“Really? Good.” She ran past Pike, still half dressed and out the bedroom door. 

 

“Be careful, Keyleth.” The gnome sighed, looking out down the corridor as Keyleth ran away, tripping but catching herself as she reached the stairs. 

  
  
  


“Hello there Miss Trickfoot.” Came a voice from behind Pike, making her jump a little. It was obvious from the accent, and from the fact that nobody else in Vox Machina would dare to call her ‘Miss Trickfoot’, who the voice belonged to. 

 

“Oh hey Tiberius. I didn’t realise you were awake.” 

 

Tiberius looked down at her, a little perplexed- or perhaps that was just his resting face, Pike was still unsure. He wore his bed robe, a silken, red thing that tied in the middle, not dissimilar to the bed clothes that Scanlan wore (although his were in purple). Dragonborn did not tend to show tiredness in the same way as the more warm blooded creatures did, so he did not look disheveled in any way- except for his glasses, which hung off his snout in a slightly wonky fashion. “Ah. Well. It was rather difficult to sleep through the racket Princess Keyleth was making.” He explained. Really, Pike didn't need to know. She listened out of politeness anyway. “So I thought I might get some breakfast.” He pushed his glasses so they lay straight. “Have you eaten?”

 

“Er- Yes, thanks.” Pike answered, smiling as she spoke. “I’m just waiting for Grog to wake up so we can train.” 

 

“Do you want some help? I could always do with practicing the aim on my fireball.”

 

The girl bit her lip. She was reminded of the time, not but a week earlier, when they had allowed Tiberius to train with them. Although the magic had given them more of a challenge, the burns were particularly painful, and the patch of garden that they used to train on was singed, and even blackened, turned to dust, in places. 

 

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…” She did not meet eye contact with him as she began to explain. “It’s only- Grog and I were planning on doing more muscle training than deterity.” That was of course a lie, because planning anything with Grog was often hopeless. But she had hoped to work on strength more, so it wasn’t as if she was completely lying. Deceiving, more than anything.

 

“Well. Suit yourself.” And with that Tiberius walked down the same stairs that Keyleth had just sprinted down, mumbling nonsense to himself as he went. Pike watched him leave with the same feeling of bewilderment that she had had when she saw the druid leave. 

 

It had all seemed to happen so quickly, and Pike stood in the corridor for a while, just wondering how they were both so similar and different at the same time. Her time away had really made her forget some of these things- the little quirks that Vox Machina had- that made her love them so much. She stayed there, content in her own thoughts, until she realised she could be waiting a while. Depending on where Grog had been, and how much he had drunk the night previous, it could be some time before he awoke, and even then he may not be in the best if spirits. It was probably best if she waited downstairs with the others. Because if Grog wasn't up early in the morning, it would likely be afternoon before he was up at all. 

  
  
  


Her arrival downstairs was met by the ringing sound of something banging against metal. It echoed through the downstairs area of Greyskull keep, resonating off the walls. It seemed to come from the kitchen, a theory that was proved to Pike when she got closer. The sound of shouts accompanying it could also be heard. She pushed open the door, and was met with a bombardment of sound. Simultaneously, Percy (who had, miraculously, emerged from his basement), Vex, and Tiberius shouted something, which along with the sound of the half elf hitting a pan with a spoon, made understanding any of the words impossible. 

 

Pike stood in the doorway, eyes and mouth open wide.

 

“Sorry darling.” Vex muttered, blushing slightly and looking a little embarrassed. “We were calling for Trinket. You haven’t- er- walked passed him in the corridor on your way here, by any chance.”

 

“Still no. Sorry.” Pike walked in, and perched on the seat closest to the door. “Is he in your brother’s room?” 

 

“I didn’t want to check. He gets mardy if I wake him up.” 

 

Tiberius held up a hand to add a point, and swallowed his bite of chicken (having chicken at breakfast still seemed like a weird thing. Pike wasn’t sure that she wanted it to become commonplace.). “Personally, I think, he’ll be in the garden doing bear things.” He took another bite of chicken, and this time spoke with his mouth full, “You know the sort.” 

 

“No I don't.” Vex groaned, and put her head down on the table. “What if he's gotten lost or something?” She lifted her head up, revealing teary eyes, “What if he's all scared and alone.” 

 

Pike heard Percy mumble “Oh for fuck’s sake” under his breath, and pull a fed up face, but nobody else seemed to notice. 

 

“Vex.” Pike offered, knowing she once again had to be the voice of reason. “I don't think Trinket will be lost. He knows Emon pretty well remember.”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Is anyone else up yet?” Percy asked, directing the question towards Pike. 

 

“Keyleth. She's in the garden.” 

 

He reached forward and grabbed the pot of jam, and scooped a large amount up with a knife. “Were the others out last night?” 

 

“Vax wasn't.” Vex intergected. 

 

“But Scanlan and Grog-” 

 

“I think I heard them getting home. Quite early in the morning, they're not especially quiet.” The half elf laughed, but still had a slightly worried expression. She obviously couldn't get the thought of Trinket out her mind. 

 

“Pike-” Tiberius held out the chicken leg he was eating towards her, “weren’t you going to train with Grog?” 

 

“Yeah…” She realised she could be waiting a while. “I might go work on the temple for a little while first. But, you know, it's not a problem, because I was going to do that anyway.” 

 

Pike did need to paint the temple door, and had been putting it off for a while. It wasn't exactly the most pleasurable job, however, and she would much rather be training. At least it wasn't raining. She left it another half hour or so, sat talking to the three in the kitchen, and at the point where Percy had finally had enough and retreated to his workroom, she too headed away, going out the main keep door to where her temple was situated. 

 

The door was to be painted white and the holy symbol of Sarenrae that was attached in the centre gold. The sun was was warmer when it shone directly upon her, and somehow made outside seem hotter than inside the keep- the sickly smell from the various plants that had been placed around also added to the overwhelming feeling of late summer. In some respects, Pike couldn’t wait for it to be over, but it was certainly better than the cold of the winter in Emon. She picked up a bucket of white paint from the shed, and held it in one hand as she strode with confidence to her temple. 

 

The gnome squatted on the temple steps, and used the wooden end of the brush to open the paint container. It made a cracking sound as it opened, and a dollop of paint splattered onto the floor. Pike then dipped the bristles of the brush in, and mixed it around, reveling in the satisfactory feeling of all the lumps and hardened areas smoothing out, until just a thick, soft mixture remained. With a little too much paint on her brush, she began to spread it over the wooden boards that made up the door, being careful to tilt from side to side in order to fill every gap, and get a completely clean finish. 

 

For a second time, she dipped the brush into the paint, already starting to get into the pleasingly methodical routine. Even though she had been putting the job off, and it wasn’t nearly as good as training, it could still be enjoyable. The more she got into it, the more she could hear her surroundings. First the various birds and insects that were around her, then the soft whistle of the wind that was so warm and gentle it was difficult to notice. Occasionally, she could hear the passing of a cart on the nearby road, and then, after about a quarter of the door was painted, Pike could hear the sound of offkey, but nethertheless beautiful, singing. 

 

Keyleth was in a much more presentable state than when Pike had last seen her. She now wore the green dress she had once had wrapped around her shoulders, and had brushed her hair so it looked tame (well, somewhat tame. It was difficult for anybody to brush through the thick red curls). She held an empty bucket in her arms, and was singing quietly and contently, walking with a skip in her step over to where Pike was. It was not a song that Pike recognised, presumably one that was shared amongst the Ashari druids, but it had a pleasant tune. She stopped as she noticed Pike watching.

 

“Oh. Sorry. Am I disturbing you? Sorry. I wasn’t-” 

 

Pike smiled. “No, I like it, keep going.” She placed her brush down onto the paint tin lid. “Did you get what you wanted to do done?”

 

The druid nodded. “Yeah. The spell needs certain amounts of sunlight and the keep shades the garden at any other time,” she explained. “I was just going to make sure all the plants have enough water.” 

 

“What about you Pike? Do you have enough water?” Scanlan. How did he appear like that? Did he just dimension door to them in order to make a weird innuendo?

 

Keyleth looked confused. “What-”

 

“I don’t know either.” Pike was well used to Scanlan’s ‘flirtation’ at this point, but every now and again he would say something that was even more confusing than normal. “No Scanlan. I thought we agreed you weren’t going to say these sorts of things when Keyleth’s around.”

 

“I still don’t understand what he means.” Keyleth muttered.

 

“Sorry.” Scanlan pulled an awkward face. He tugged on the collar of his jacket, and offered an apology. “Do either of you two want a drink?” 

 

“Oh yes please.” The druid grinned, and before Pike could even answer, Scanlan had teleported himself away once again. Pike was tempted to to scold him through the earring, but as a general rule they did not use it until everybody was awake, except in an emergency or if there were no other option, and as Vax and Grog were still asleep she decided against it. 

 

Keyleth began to hum again, and walked swiftly around the temple to the well, leaving Pike alone for about a minute before Scanlan reappeared again. He was shorter than Pike and no where near as strong, and was definitely having trouble carrying three cups in his arms. This problem of his was confirmed as he stopped still in his tracks, and a mug full of tea began plummeting towards Pikes face. She caught it, thankfully, because being scalded with hot water was almost as bad as being burnt by one of Tiberius's spells.  

 

“Why did you not just take two trips?” She asked, not sounding angry but a little more assertive than normal.

 

He chuckled. “I didn’t want to waste any spells?” As if that was obvious.

 

“Scanlan- I don’t think- couldn’t you have just walked?”

 

“With these legs?” He looked down at his knees. “They’re much too short to walk anywhere, we both know that.” 

 

Pike had no idea how to argue with such a statement, so just sighed and took a sip of her tea. Scanlan sat down on the stone step beside her, placing one of the mugs he was holding on the side, and clutching the other in both hands. 

 

“You need a hand?” He asked. 

 

“No, don’t worry.” It wasn’t that she didn't want him helping, it was only the fact she needed something to do whilst waiting for Grog, and wanted to stretch the job out for as long as possible. 

  
  


After a while, once they had got past the initial flirting, Pike and Scanlan could have a pretty decent conversation, and they talked about various things until the bard made the realisation that they had been missing somebody for some time. 

 

“Wait- where did Keyleth go?” 

 

“She went to the well-” Pike suddenly thought of something. “Oh dear.”

 

“You don’t think she fell in, do you?” Scanlan looked a little concerned, but only a little. He also had an expression that suggested he was about to laugh.

  
  


Pike put down her tea, and stood up, striding with some urgency to the well. Scanlan was behind her, going at a much more leisurely pace. 

 

“Keyleth?” She called, looking around for the girl. 

 

Scanlan walked over to the well and peered over, standing on the tips of his toes to see high enough. Next to his feet was the bucket Keyleth had been carrying, full of water, but discarded. The mossy stone of the well was slick with moisture, not yet evaporated in the heat, and left a light green tint on his hands where he had touched it. The wooden beam above the well was also covered in the same thick moss, and, along with the slowly decaying rope, would probably need replacing in a few months. Scanlan did not seem to worry about the grime on his hands, nor the cold of inside the well as he leant his head down. “She’s not down there.” He told Pike. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” 

 

“Who’ll be fine?” 

 

“Oh! Keyleth. What are you doing?” His voice increase in pitch as he spoke, presumably because the appearance of the girl had made him jump out of his skin.

 

“Collecting water.” She smiled, and picked up the bucket, spilling a water on the ground. “Hey Pike. Why are you here? I thought you were painting the door?”

 

“We came to look for you. Where did you go?” Pike replied. 

 

Keyleth began to walk back, swinging (and spilling) the water as she went. “I saw this amazing bird. It was just over there, and I followed it.” 

 

She talked for over a minute non-stop about the bird, and by the time she had finished they were back at the temple. The druid then continued walking, leaving the two gnomes sat on the steps once again. She had only just got out of view by the time they were disturbed again.

  
  
  
  


Pike was unsure of it at first. In her defence, a bear is reasonably well disguised amongst the browns and greens of a garden. But there Trinket was, padding slowly and quietly across the back wall of the garden. His ears were tilted backwards, suggesting he was trying to keep out of sight, but obviously not doing it too well. The main question was, what was he doing alone without instruction of Vex? Especially returning from outside of the keep gate. She didn’t want to make assumptions, but it would suggest that somebody else was doing something suspicious. 

 

She nudged Scanlan and pointed to the bear. He opened his mouth, and before Pike knew what he was doing, he held onto his earring with his left hand, and stated, loud and clear, “Vex, Your fucking bears in the garden, can you come and get it?” 

 

“Scanlan. People are still asleep.” 

 

Scanlan smirked. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather face the wrath of Grog than than Vex’ahlia when she doesn’t know where the bear is.”

 

He did have a point. Vex was heard only seconds earlier, shouting and slamming the front door of the keep open. “See what I mean.” He chuckled, before having the breath taken out of him, as Vex ran at some speed, straight to Scanlan, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

 

“Where is he!” She sounded so stressed that her voice was deep and growl like, and Scanlan could only point to where they had seen Trinket moving. He was dropped by her almost immediately, and the half elf sprinted without any other words in that direction. 

 

Pike followed close after. Her legs were not as long, and she had never been able to run very fast, but without the constraints of heavy armor she was just about able to keep up. Vex stood in a stance as if she were ready to fight, and looked from side to side. “Trinket, baby. Where are you?” She called.

 

It was at the point that Vex turned to the side, and noticed something at the exact same time as Pike. Trinket was standing with his back legs on the floor, and front paws leaning against the wall of the keep, directly underneath the window to Vax’s bedroom. A pair of legs in dark leather trousers were visible through the window, kicking wildly and struggling to climb up. Pike held her breath for what was about to happen next. Vax was in trouble, and a certainly more trouble than the fact he was stuck halfway through a window. 

 

“VAX!” Vex screamed, storming towards the window. “Trinket, get here right now. Leave him there.” 

 

The bear walked slowly to his mistress, head held down low, looking guilty. He stood behind Vex, and kept quiet. 

 

“It’s okay baby, I know it’s not your fault.” She spoke quietly and forgivingly to Trinket. Pike couldn’t see him, but she was sure that if Scanlan were in earshot he would be pretending to throw up. “VAX!” She shouted again, “Get down here now!” 

 

“Not going to happen stubby!” Was his call back, just about audible from the other side of the wall. The following shout was not directed to Vex, but to somebody inside, a desperate scream of “Grog!” as he tried to save himself from the anger of his sister.

 

Vex had already started to storm back inside the keep, Trinket following behind her, head still held low. Vax kicked his legs again, and tried to push himself up with his knees. He had the dexterity to be able to scamper up the wall, but must have jumped too low and not had the strength to pull himself through the window. Pike sighed and shouted “Wait there Vax.” before following after Vex once again, hoping she would be able to diffuse the situation (although, with the twins it was often more effective- and funnier- to allow them to bicker. 

 

Scanlan also caught up and walked along side her as they chased Vex up the stairs. “Is he stuck in the window again?”

 

“Again?” Pike hadn’t realised it was a common thing. 

 

Scanlan shrugged. “He’s usually pretty good at hiding from her.” 

 

There was no time to ask any more questions. The door to Vax’s room was wide open, and so was the window. Well, the window was open but not functioning as a window because it had the front half of a half elf sticking through it. Vax was struggling as his sister grabbed onto his hair and lifted his head up, and he was unable to fight back without letting go of the window sill. 

 

“You lied to me brother.” Vex growled, and pulled his hair tighter, “And you used Trinket! I can’t believe you.”

 

“Get off.” He muttered, then yelped as Vex tried to drag him through the window by his hair. “Love you?” Vax looked up (as well as he could whilst effectively restrained) and smiled. Pike was sure that the statement was heartfelt, even if it was an attempt to save his own skin, but it wasn’t going to help him. 

 

“No. Shut up.” She let go of his hair, and he sighed with relief. “Where were you anyway. What was so important that you had to steal my bear?”

 

Vax stopped trying to pull himself up for a second, and smirked at her. He had a worried expression, as if he didn’t want her to find out what she was about to realise. 

 

Vex gasped. “You were with Gilmore! You-!

 

Behind her, Pike heard Scanlan chuckle, and make an impressed sound.

 

“You were there all night! Did you take Trinket with you?” Vax didn't answer her, so she grabbed his hair again and tugged it, “Answer me.” 

 

“Yes?...” 

 

“Fine! You can stay there. Trinket darling, come along. We’re going downstairs.” She turned and left the room, pushing in between Scanlan and Pike, and tossing her braided hair over her shoulder. Trinket followed close behind, making a deep growl in Scanlans face as he passed. The gnome gave a quiet scream, and pulled away.

 

“Pickle?” Vax called. “Can I have a hand?”

 

“I don’t think you should have taken Trinket with you, Stringbean.” He could do with some sort of a punishment, the amount of pranking and sneaking around had been getting out of hand, and he looked pretty funny halfway through the window. 

 

He groaned. “Please. Scanlan?”

 

“Nope. You’re a cat burglar or whatever. Do it yourself.” 

 

“Come on! I’m not a Cat burglar! I’ve only robbed a few houses! Please! My trousers are latched onto the stone. Scanlan!” He kept calling out to them as they left, even after Scanlan shut the door on him. 

  
  


If that ruckus hadn’t woken Grog, nothing would. Pike looked around for him, and found the door to his bedroom open, but the goliath himself was nowhere to be seen. “Grog buddy? Where are you.”

 

There was a thump from behind the open door to his bedroom. 

 

“Grog-” She asked again, putting on her stern voice. “If you’re behind that door-”

 

She couldn’t finish her threat before Grog appeared, stepping out from behind the door, a similar guilty look on his face to the one Trinket had held just moments earlier. He wore some form of underwear- a pair of fabric shorts- but other than that there was not much else. “Sorry Pike.” he mumbled. 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Just gettin’ dressed.” He answered, not meeting her eye, and obviously lying to her. 

 

Scanlan chuckled, but didn’t add anything further to the conversation.

 

“What are you really doing?” Pike asked again, making herself sound even sterner than before, and placing her hands on her hips.

 

“I was gonna go look at Vax.” He muttered, still not meeting her eye. “‘n get him out of the window.”

She was a little confused as to why Grog was helping Vax, since they were fierce rivals in the ongoing prank war, and tended to enjoy seeing each other in difficult situations. There was no need to ask, however, because Scanlan was already beginning to explain. 

 

“Good to know you’re still keeping to the deal.”

 

“You three have a deal?” Pike exclaimed. Scanlan began to back away down the corridor, but Pike shot him a look, and he stopped.

 

“Yeah. It was just like we help Vax hide from Vex when he goes out ‘n Vax helps me ‘n Scanlan sneak back in on nights where you ‘n Percy say we can’t go out.” He still looked at the ground, and was swaying from side to side with his arms behind his back. 

 

She sighed. “You know, I guess I can’t stop you from going out. I’m just- disappointed you would both wanted to go behind my back.”

 

“‘M sorry Pike.” Grog muttered, finally confident enough to meet her gaze. 

 

“Okay Grog. Just don’t do it again please.” Pike turned her glare to Scanlan, who smiled awkwardly.

 

“So I was going to go finish my tea.” He chuckled, still with the same smile on his face.

 

“We’ll talk about this later.”

 

“You can never blame me Pike, I’m too lovable.” He chirped, as he continued to walk backwards down the hallway. 

 

She chuckled as he said it, and turned to Grog. “At least you’re up. Maybe we should do some training before it gets to midday?”

 

“Is it almost Lunch yet?” He asked. Pike realised that he hadn’t eaten yet, having woken up too late to have breakfast with everyone else.

 

“Almost. Do you think you can wait to eat?”

 

“Yeah, can I get Vax now?” he looked to the door. 

 

“I think that can wait too. Vex was pretty certain that he should stay up there.” It wasn’t going to hurt Vax, spending some time in a place where he couldn’t get into trouble. Grog wouldn't argue with her now for some time anyway, not now he felt so guilty, and the threat of defying Vex’s orders would also be a deterrent for him. “Ready to train?” 

 

“Alright.” Grog looked to the door once again, but began to walk away as Pike repeated the strict look.

  
  


Their training ground was on the opposite side of the keep to where Vax’s legs were currently hanging. It hadn’t been designated as a training area, but it worked well as one. The patch of grass, singed as it was, was the largest, flattest area in the whole plot of land. There were plans to build a sandpit somewhere, and to make Grog some more weights than the rudimentary ones he had fashioned out of sticks, stones, and little bits of scrap metal. Those plans had not yet happened, because they had been functioning perfectly well without it, and Grog himself was much more concerned with the amount of alcohol in the keep than the amount of training areas. 

 

Pike jumped on Grog’s shoulders as soon as they got there. She pulled herself up onto his shoulders, and grappled herself around his neck, managing to stay on for a couple of seconds before he threw her off. She landed on her backside, the grass that had been slightly dried by the sun cracking a little and forming to her weight. Quickly the gnome jumped back up again, balancing on the balls of her feet and holding her tiny hands in a combat position to the man in front of her. He was over five times her size, and usually a little faster than this.

 

“How much did you drink last night?” She taunted, “Can’t you catch up?” 

 

He grunted, and went for a jab to her side, missing by just a centimeter. A second attack, this time Grog attempted to grapple her, picking her up by her right arm. Pike was lifted a foot of the ground before she pulled her arm around and escaped, landing on her feet with knees bending to account for the fall. She smiled with the confidence of landing on her feet, a skill that had taken a while to perfect. 

 

“I can catch up.” Grog muttered, as Pike ducked around another swing and moved between his legs so she was behind him. “I just needa warm up.” 

 

“Hows this for a warm up?” She landed a punch to the back of his knees, then sprinted away. “Catch up then!” She called, not looking behind herself. 

 

Pike enjoyed this time with Grog more than anything else. He was her best friend, he knew her more than anybody else in the world, and she knew him to the same extent. After she had died she knew she had to improve her strength, and despite laughing at Grog’s muscle building training not long ago, she liked partaking in it. It made her feel stronger, and gave her the confidence to fend for herself. She knew that she couldn’t die, not again, because really where would the rest of the group be without her?

 

Grog caught up very quickly, and dived onto her, pinning her to the ground. He was gentle when training, and not raging, but nethertheless Pike could see why enemies tended to fear Grog the most. He was certainly a frightening presence. 

 

She span around and rolled under his arms, her hair coming loose and releasing like a cascade of of white that followed after her as she moved. She took the opportunity to climb onto Grog’s back whilst he was down, and stood in a firm stance, now holding the position of power. He could have easily pushed her off, but didn’t. Maybe he was being nice, but more likely he just couldn’t be bothered to put the effort in. They continued the sparring for a short while, with Grog still not really trying. It did bother her a little, simply because she wanted a fair fight, but there was nothing to be done about it. 

 

After Grog was really bored, and barely trying to grab Pike anymore, they moved on to other exercises. They were the only two that tended to train like this for fighting. Keyleth, Scanlan and Tiberius relied on their magic, Percy and Vex would only ever train in a shooting range, or by hunting- they could fight at range, they had no need to spar. Vax would join occasionally, but he got enough training from just general sneaking around, and besides, how could he train when he was busy being stuck in windows? That didn’t mean that people didn’t join in. Whether it was Tiberius casting spells, or Scanlan being used as a weight when they did press ups.  Even without the additional help from others, they managed to train for a couple of hours until the smell of food filled the air.

 

It was a sweet smell, breads and some sort of meat cooking- Laina must have been cooking. It perked Grog up, giving him a new energy. Pike noticed it, and noticed the sound of his stomach grumbling. “Do you wanna go and eat something Grog?” She asked.

 

His eyes lit up. “Can we?” 

 

“Course. You only had to ask, you know.” She smiled, and patted him on the back. “I love eating food.” The sun was also starting to disappear, the new appearance of dark clouds covering it up. Pike didn’t particularly want to be doing sit-ups in the rain. 

  
  
  


The smell of the food seemed to have a similar effect on others to the one it had on Grog. Around the dining table sat Tiberius, Keyleth and Scanlan, chatting amongst each other and snacking on pieces of bread that had been placed in the centre of the table, in a bowl placed on top of a small woven mat, made of different pieces of colourful fabric, standing out against the otherwise browns and greys of the dining room. Grog sat down whilst grabbing a bread roll in each hand, and stuffing a whole one in his mouth. 

 

Vex strode through the door soon after, Trinket eagerly following behind her, but still trying to keep his head down. She wore the same look of anger upon her face, and sat down on her seat without speaking to anyone. She would get over it soon, but when she was like this it could be difficult to approach her, and nobody could do anything to change her mind. Vex would never intentionally hurt anybody, and would never visibly show anger like this to anybody but Vax. Somebody should probably go and bring some food up to the boy himself, but Pike imagined that Gilmore had fed him more than well enough, so they could all eat before they brought him anything. Percy, however, did need fetching, so before she sat down Pike explained to the rest of them where she was going. 

 

The steps into the basement were not clean, coated in the dust from many experiments. The stone walls were coated in the same kind of grime, and would be for some time because Percy refused to allow anyone to clean it. He said it was too dangerous for people to spend too much time down there, which firstly made Pike worry about what he was building, and secondly made he worry about the amount of time he spent down there too. He was certainly never one to follow his own rules. The bottom of the stair lead to a two way corridor, one route leading to the cells they had built, just in case of an emergency (although they all hoped they would never be needed), and the second corridor lead to Percy’s workshop. The same dark, gunpowder smelling dust coated the corridor, only getting thicker near the door. The door itself was heavy and metallic, just as the one at the basement entrance was. Percy was not afraid to make explosions, but he had designed the area perfectly to keep the explosions away from everybody else, even if it did mean isolating himself. 

 

Pike knocked on the door twice, her fist making a clanging sound across the metal. There was a response, but it was so muffled it was inaudible, so she entered without permission. Percy looked a little grumpy at her entry, and put down the tool he was holding (It was a metallic device that appeared to be crackling with electricity that Pike had never seen before), and he wiped a long line of black powder across his forehead.

 

“How’s it going Percy?” 

 

He sighed. “Not bad, just working on a little side project.”

 

Pike tried to walk towards him, but he signalled her away. “What is it?” She asked anyway, still staying in the doorway.

 

“Just an additional device that should aid me should I ever break all my guns, or be required to fight in close combat.” He put motioned to the silver piece of technology that lay on the worktop. “I can’t seem to get it quite right.”

 

“Why don’t you leave it a while, come and eat lunch? I think Laina made beef sandwiches.” Pike offered, hoping he’d agree. 

 

Percy stood up, to her relief, and walked to her, taking off his gloves and apron and hanging them up on a hook by the door. “I hadn’t realised it was midday already. I think I’ll stop here for today, I’m not getting anywhere.” 

 

She began to walk back down the hallway. He did tend to lose track of the time, and that was why somebody had to remind him. It was a constant thing, and had just become another part of their daily routine. Pike wondered whether he even ate when she was away and the twins and Grog went out travelling- it wouldn't be unlike him to spend weeks down there without noticing. He was so eager to complete his projects, make himself stronger for when they inevitably had to fight somebody- or something- again. It was a similar mindset to the one Pike herself held, the need for more power, only she tended to be a little more sensible at producing it than Percy. It excited him to no end, so she let it slide. If he was happy, so was she. Even though she couldn't understand what he spoke of, she listened to him chatter about his inventions all the way back into the dining room, where they were forced to stop due to the overwhelming noise of everyone else. 

 

There was indeed beef sandwiches, as Pike had suspected from the smell, along with a homemade mustard, and another basket full of crusty white bread rolls, still hot to the touch and soft and sweet to the palate. They ate the food quickly, whilst it was still warm, but stayed at the table with each other for some time afterwards. Vex appeared to have cheered up a little after eating something, and was throwing scraps of beef to Trinket who would swallow them whole should he catch them, whilst Scanlan attempted to catch the food and eat it himself (Pike doubted the fact that he actually wanted it, he was more likely just keeping it from the bear). Keyleth also attempted to throw bit of bread, but had nowhere near the aim that Vex had, so the majority of the scraps she threw ended up bouncing off Tiberius. The dragonborn was unsure what was happening, jumping every time something hit him and spluttering something that made no sense to any of them. He still stayed with them, confused as he was. Percy watched, evidently planning something, presumably it was an invention to make the game more interesting and probably would result in somebody being hurt. Pike and Grog did not participate either, but watched and cheered loudly every time Trinket caught something, and jeering at Scanlans feeble attempts to stop the game.

 

They all stopped still as a sudden flash filled the room, from the window, followed by an explosion like rumble. It took all of them a second to realise it was thunder, not a threat, simply because of all they had been through in the past couple of years. As they relaxed once again, and began to laugh, the rain started. It was almost as if after weeks of heat and no rain, the gods were releasing all the water they had stored in one afternoon. It fell heavily, a direct contrast to the sunny morning earlier. 

 

“Did you do this to water your plants, Keyleth?” Percy joked.

 

She looked at him, squinting in confusion. “No? I can’t control the weather yet? I thought you knew that?”

 

“Nevermind.” Percy sighed. “I’m assuming this ruins some plans for this afternoon?”

 

Grog looked out the window. “Yeah. Obviously.” 

 

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Pike certainly couldn't train or paint the temple in such heavy rain, and didn’t want to risk being hit by lightning. It was the same with the others, excluding Percy and Tiberius, they all tended to spend more time outside, whether it was tending to plants or going out into central Emon to shop.

 

“Why don’t we play a game?” Scanlan suggested. 

 

“Please not one of your special games.” Pike muttered to herself, although obviously not quietly enough, because the bard responded to her.

 

“I meant a board game. Or cards.” He gasped, pretending to be shocked. “What did you think I meant?” 

 

“You know exactly what I thought Scanlan.” She smiled. “Nevermind, what game do you want to play?” 

 

Tiberius held his hand up to make a suggestion, “I brought this game back, from Draconia. It combines elements of property building, and money keeping, apparently it’s quite enjoyable.” 

 

Vex’s eyes lit up at the word ‘money’, and she immediately slapped the table. “You know what, that sounds just fine. Will we be playing for money?” 

 

“It doesn’t sound like the sort of game you play for money.” Percy pointed out, and Vex scowled at him. 

 

“Is it difficult?” Keyleth asked, looking worried. 

 

“Maybe we should play in teams…” Pike offered, and Grog grunted in agreement. “Or maybe Grog and I be a team, and Keyleth goes with Tiberius.” She added, recognising that the others would probably be happier playing by themselves.  

 

“Okay.” She still sounded unsure, but at least she wouldn't be completely lost for the rest of the afternoon. 

 

“Should we light a fire in the living room?” Percy suggest, standing up and brushing a bit of powder off his shirt. 

“Yes.” Tiberius stood up too, and left without saying anything more, heading in the opposite direction to the main room. 

 

Keyleth ended up lighting the fire in the end. She sat by the fireplace, dwarfed by the size of it, and built up the pieces of firewood they had stored inside to keep it dry. The rest of them sat on the various seats in the room that surrounded a large coffee table. The chairs, some made of leather, some from a flowered fabric, were designed to fit two or three people on them at a time. There was also numerous blankets and pillows on each one. Pike sat with a grey blanket wrapped around her shoulders, trying to keep a little warmer whilst they waited for Tiberius to return. She kept an eye on the window, watching the relentless rainfall and forks of lightning that would strike in the distance. The sky was dark, and made the room fairly dark too, but after the fire was lit there was more of a warm glow to the lighting. 

 

Laina walked in with a tray of hot drinks, placed them on a side. “Will you sit in here with us, Laina?” Vex asked, unaware of social expectations like always. A good thing, of course, but some people they knew of would object to a servant being in the same room. “Unless you’re busy, of course, dear. I wouldn’t want you getting cold in the rest of the keep.”

 

The woman politely took a seat, and poured herself a drink, keeping warm. 

  
  
  


Tiberius entered some time later, and placed a wooden board upon the table, with it a small box containing false paper money, cards with names of different places around the world written on them, tiny wooden houses, painted red or green, and six metal figures: a dragon, a spellbook, a sword, a horse cart, a boot, and a lute. They took a piece each and Percy read the rules to himself, then began to hand out certain amounts of paper money to each player (or team of players). It took them a while to get going, after going over the rules and the aim of the game, then arguing over the rules, then going over the aim of the game once again, but they managed to start playing eventually. Despite large amounts of confusion, the game was enjoyable, and Pike was happy to relax, even if there was a feeling in the back of her mind that she had forgotten.

 

She looked out the window once again, trying to remember, only to have her thoughts interrupted as Vex elbowed her excitedly. “You landed on my space, darling, and seeing as I own all three of those cities, you owe me 500 gold.” 

 

Grog pushed all their paper notes they had over to her, and Pike had to stop him and give her the correct amount. “No. Too much Grog.”

 

“I dunno how this game works.” He admitted, despite having been playing it for over an hour already. 

 

“It’s okay, we’re just playing it to pass the time.”

 

He picked up their little metal sword figurine and examined it. “Why would you want to play a game ‘bout shopping.” 

 

“Do you want to play with the little sword instead?” She asked, picking up the remaining cart figure and placing it on their spot on the board, because she already knew the answer was yes before he could nod. “Just don’t put it in your mouth, okay?” 

  
  


Vex and Percy were much more skilled at the game than any of the others, and soon the contest was only between them and Scanlan, who had only managed to stay in the game by cheating. Between them they owned most of the cities, and dominated the board, making it virtually impossible for anyone else to win. Percy and Vex were equally competitive, and argued incessantly over every move, so much so that even Scanlan with his empire of fake money stolen from the bank started to get bored, and Pike was just about to suggest they leave it at a draw when she remembered what she had forgotten to do. 

 

“Did anybody ever get Vax out that window?”

 

“Fuck.” Vex looked over to the pouring rain, still going heavy even after the thunder stopped.  She put down the paper money she was counting, and ran out of the room. 

 

Pike looked at Grog, whilst Percy and Keyleth began to gather up the dropped money. “We should go help her, he looked pretty stuck.”

 

“Yeah. Weak little half elves might needa bit of our muscles right Pike?” He picked her up by the back of her shirt, and placed her on his shoulders. She grabbed on tight as he walked out in long strides out into the hallway and up the stairs. 

  
  


Vex was being little help getting her brother out. She was stood, not even in the room yet, looking at him, with her hand on her thighs to support herself whilst she laughed. Vax scowled at her, unable to move and rain soaked. The wind had not only directed the water towards his legs and backside that were outside of the keep, but had also brought rain through the window onto him, a large pool of water on the ground, only getting larger as droplets dripped from his wet hair. The slick black of the hair sticking to his forehead only added to the fed up expression. 

 

“Nice that you find this funny, sister.” He muttered, voice hoarse. 

 

She didn't answer, still too busy laughing at her brother misfortune. 

 

Grog put Pike down on the floor, entered the room, and picked Vax up by the back of his jacket, unhooking his trousers from what looked like a bit of splintered wood and a bent nail on the window ledge. He dropped him in the pool of water by the window, where he sat, shivering with cold. 

 

“There's a fire in the living room.” Pike sighed, offering a hand to pull him up. “And I’ll get you a towel. Grog can you shut the window?” 

 

Vax took her hand and pulled himself up, walking over to Vex who was not laughing as loud, but still giggling. He walked past her, and flicked water from his hair onto her face. 

 

“VAX.” She gasped, and, before he had a chance to run, jumped on his back, and regretted it immediately. “Urgh you're all wet!” 

 

He turned his head to look at her, with a puzzled expression at her stating the obvious. 

 

“Okay. Fine. I’m going to get a change of shirt, I would suggest you do too, brother.” 

 

“I was planning on it, Stubby,” he pulled a smug face.

 

As she left she turned back to him. “Was this worth it to see Gilmore, then?” 

 

“Certainly. In Fact, you seem interested, maybe I should explain the night to you in great detail-” he joked, but was interrupted by his sister sticking her fingers in her ears, and humming loudly.

 

“No. I don't want to know about that stuff. No.” She continued mutter that, fingers still in her ears, as she walked back into her bedroom. 

  
  


“Sorry Vax.” Pike apologised once she had gone. “We sort of forgot you were here.” 

 

“Don't worry about it Pickle.” He started going through the chest by his bed, and pulled out a spare shirt and pair of trousers. 

 

Grog looked disappointed. “I thought you were gonna talk about your night with Gilmore.” 

 

“Ah. Yeah.” He pulled off his wet shirt and discarded it onto the floor. “Maybe you and I can have a conversation about that later, yeah big guy?” 

 

“Alright.” He looked at Vax. “Aren't you gonna wait for us to leave before you strip off?” 

 

“Wasn't planning on it.” 

 

“Oh.” Grog agreed, but didn't object. 

 

Pike pulled his wrist. “Maybe we should leave then, Grog.” If she didn't get take him out, he would probably just stay and watch. “I’ll take a towel down to the living room, Vax.” She explained as they went. 

 

There were towels in the bathroom, of various sizes to account for the different sizes of the people that used them (although seeing Grog trying to dry himself with the tiny towel designed for Scanlan was amusing). She grabbed a medium sized towel from the middle shelf, and once they got back into the living room she hung it above the fire to warm it up. The rest of the party had barely moved, if you discounted the fact that the bard’s pile of money had increased heavily, and there was even fewer paper notes left in Pike’s stash. Nobody asked about what had gone  on upstairs because it was a common occurrence that something odd would happen. 

 

They started playing again before the twins arrived, although it did not take long for Vex to return and insist that all her money be scrutinizingly recounted before they resumed. Once she was satisfied they could truly begin again. Vax grabbed the towel when he entered, wrapped it around his head and shoulders, then perched on the back of the chair behind his sister, pointing out every little mistake she made, and laughing at her bad dice rolls. Laina left soon after, retreating from the room of warmth to cook dinner.

 

The game never really ended. The sheer amounts of power that Vex, Percy and Scanlan held had left it at a stalemate. And although Pike suggested they left it at a draw, the were unwilling to back down, and insisted they all kept playing, despite the fact everybody else had resorted to playing with the little wooden houses, Keyleth describing excitedly how they would be ‘excellent for the Pixie population’. 

 

Fortunately it was not too long until food was served- only an hour or two after Laina left, she must have had food prepared in advance. A chicken and cream pie, accompanied with a white wine. The mood was as cheerful as ever, more cheerful even with the introduction of alcohol. Scanlan sang as he drank, a cheerful song with underlying references to women he had slept with. Keyleth also tried to sing along with him, more than slightly tipsy, and not understanding the lyrics nor staying in time with the gnome. Grog grew bored of the wine fairly quickly after there was no food left, and pulled out a barrel of ale from the storage room, slamming it on the table with a bang. He filled up a tanker for himself, and one for Pike, then drank it whilst cheering every time Scanlan made an innuendo. Tiberius talked to Percy about some dragonborn tradition, Percy being the only person in the room who could listen to it and stay interested. The gunslinger also diligently moved glasses and plates out of the way when Scanlan climbed on the table and began to dance as he sang. Vax was carefully flicking spitballs made of pieces of the paper tablecloth into Grog’s drink, concealing chuckles every time he took a gulp and didn't notice. Vex scolded him for it at first, but ignored it eventually, inviting Trinket to put his head on her lap, and stroking the scruff between his ears. 

 

Pike sat and watched them all mess about, sipping on her ale. Soon she would go to bed, along with Vex, Percy and Tiberius. The others would probably stay up a while longer, but wouldn’t risk sneaking out after the events of the day.

 

She could understand why she had enjoyed some time away from them- as a whole they were tiring, especially when she had to act as a mother figure. But she loved them, and they loved her, so it was all worth it. Even with Scanlans’s constant flirting, Tiberius’s rambling, Keyleth’s confusion (And general lack of social ability), Vex’s greed and anger, Vax’s trouble making, Percy’s dangerous experiments and Grog- well Grog was Grog, so despite the flaws that people would point out, he was perfect to her. They were all perfect to Pike, really. What was life if not entertaining? They were not fighting, they were safe, they were alive. Maybe once this would be how they lived in the future, all eight of them having a good time together, with no worries about what comes next. She knew they would have to fight again- now they had saved Uriel and became heros of Emon, they were expected to be protectors of the people, at least for a while. This time was what mattered, really. She was content watching them laugh, sing and play- no, she thought, screw it- why should they have all the fun whilst she was just an onlooker? Pike climbed onto the table alongside Scanlan, grabbed his hand, and sang at the top of her lungs. 

 

Living at Greyskull keep with Vox Machina really was the best time of her life.


End file.
